[Editor’s Note: I’m so excited to kick off a special series this week focusing on fathers. What is a dad to do when his wife is struggling with postpartum depression? When the person he married to or partnered with seems as though she has suddenly become a different person? When he has no idea what’s wrong or where to find help?

This week, several dads who have been through the experience of their wives’/partners’ postpartum depression will share their thoughts with you. We’re really looking forward to this “Warrior Dads” series of advice for new fathers, and I’m exceedingly proud to kick it off with my husband, Frank Callis, who has been an amazing support to me through the last 10 years of parenting and the last nearly eight years of advocating for women with PPD. -Katherine

It’s been eight years since postpartum OCD just about tore my little family apart and may have killed my wife. It does not take much thinking to get back into those times. I try not to do it much because it was the most terrifying time of my life.

As a man there are some things I thought you could always count on: 1) The sun will come up in the east; 2) Few things are as certain as death and taxes, and; 3) Women are wired to have babies and take naturally to new motherhood. I really believed that. I believed there was nothing that could keep a woman from taking to motherhood like a duck to water. And I’m pretty sure that my wife thought the same thing. We believed that when you have a baby and you look into that baby’s eyes, the choir music begins and everything just falls into place.

That was not the case with our first child. We were in love from the moment we saw him. We were so giddy from lack of sleep and excitement that we swerved from laughter to tears of joy and then laughter again in the hospital room. But when we got home, something was just not right. My wife was racked with fear. She could not sleep and stopped taking care of herself. Rather than sleeping when our son slept, she boiled bottles, washed clothes, watched him, and did nothing to take care of herself. She could not bathe him out of fear of drowning him. She was sad and listless. She could not walk down stairs with him for fear of dropping him.

I did not know what to do. She did not know what to do. This wore on for months.

I thought she was overwhelmed so I tried to help more. I took more feedings. I did the baths. I tried to help. Pretty soon I was simply overwhelmed as well. I had a wife I could no longer reach emotionally. I could not communicate with her in a meaningful way. She would not listen to me. We talked and talked. I talked to her mom and my mom. Everyone assured me it was only the adjustment to the baby, yet things didn’t improve over time. I used my job to cope. I stayed in the office, buried my head in the sand, and worked more.

After one protracted, tearful conversation I said, “I cannot help you. I don’t know what to do. You need some professional help.” I was at a loss and scared out of my mind.

What I did not know then was that my wife was simply afflicted by postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder. She was racked with fear that harm would come to our child through her or me or the world and could not rest for this fear. And it was driving her mad. She had become very ill.

Somewhere along the way my wife decided that she needed help and she reached out for it. It then took more than a year for Katherine to get better. She sought medical care through her company’s employee assistance program. We worked together. I did what I could. I dug in and helped even more. She went to therapy and I supported that. She took medication, and I supported that, too.

She got better. It was not easy. It took time and love and care. I think people think medication or therapy will be a magic bullet and it is not. Recovery also takes time, love and patience.

I certainly did not get it all right. I was scared and hid in my job too much. That is something I’ll always regret.

If there are three things I could offer to new fathers, it would be these:

1) There is hope. Postpartum depression and related illnesses are not as abnormal as you think. In fact, they are common.

I’m very proud of my wife. Postpartum Progress, Daily Hope and the work she has done to destigmatize the array of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders is her life’s work, and I have a deep and abiding respect for what she has done. I believe that the idea that there is hope is critical, that you’re not alone, and that PPD is not uncommon are critical things to know.

When you believe something at your core—that “mothers naturally and immediately take to motherhood”—and you find out that because of a variety of reasons that is not always the case, you can become rudderless and believe that there is no hope. But there is. You must avail yourself of the help. More women are affected by postpartum depression than many other illnesses that you hear about in the media continually. You must overcome the stigma and understand that postpartum depression is driven by chemical and emotional turmoil that is real. It’s critical to have faith that things can and will get better if you will reach out for professional assistance, medical care, and peer support.

As a new father you think about protecting your family from a myriad of threats. It’s easy to imagine yourself rising to the challenge of a threat to your family, but when that threat comes from an illness your wife is experiencing, it can be daunting. Dads, now is the time to lead. Now is the time to give the best that you’ve got. Support your wife in therapy, protect her from people who will dismiss her feelings and say it’s just the baby blues, or judge her for her treatment choices. Rise to the challenge.

“Whatever your best is, now is the time to give it.” I took those words from the commentary on a Tour de France race, when Lance Armstrong hopped up out of the saddle and charged up over the Alps, against impossible odds after having had cancer, and won … against himself, the mountain, and the competition. Eight years later I view postpartum depression as our mountain. Challenging, daunting, and scary. We got over it. We did it together, grinding away on that mountain slowly, and I am grateful that we have a wonderful, happy, healthy family today. Your wife can and will recover, with help. Take hope, ask for help and whatever your best is, give it now, for you and your wife.

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thank you for this piece and for this series. My husband has Beeb a great source of support through my battle but he too has had to shut off in order to deal and make it through. Not knowing the details helped him through. The truth was just too scary to face. We have to work on connecting again mow that I am getting better but I am thankful he had been a warrior too.

From the stories I've received from dads, it seems pretty common that they shut down or try to remove themselves a little bit (by spending more time at work, for example). It makes sense to me given how overwhelming it must feel for a new father to also be faced with his wife's illness.

I just wrote a piece for Addye's blog called "love in the time of ppocd". This experience is truly a break it or make it in relationships. My husband has been amazing through all of this, holding my hand and even going to the doctor with me. I don't know what I would do without him. He really proved that he meant all the vows he took on our wedding day.

What a blessing for every woman with postpartum disorders who has her partner as a source of strength and support. I am greatful for the other men in my life who made themselves available to me in whatever capacity they were able. My grandfather, father and brother helped me in both emotional and pratical ways. Along with all of the women in my life who have been there for me over these past two years, for these three men I am also thankful.

Sandra – This is really tough. It takes time and a lot of tact. Having the mother read a few articles about the symptoms of PPD might help — that way she can see how common this is and that she doesn’t need to feel any shame. Also finding the “right” time to talk is really important — finding the calmest, quietest moment of the day when the couple can discuss what’s going awry.

It’s been just over 3 years since we have had our child. Since the beginning she has been basically turned off to me or anything about me. I am OK with the baby being more important and a priority over me. But she is just emotionless towards me or is always just getting mad about nothing. I’ve tried to do everything I could and nothing seems to make her happy and the part that kills me is she doesn’t even seem to care that I try so hard. I changed careers and we also moved closed to family to try to make her happy. Well now we hav3 moved and settled in and there is no change. She still seems unhappy all the time and doesn’t seem to care about my feeling towards anything. Lately she has been letting that anger go on our son now. Nothing serious just yells at him and gets angry at him over small things. Before it was only me that got her aggravation. It’s been over 3 years now and it doesn’t seem like it’s changing. Whenever I bring it up she gets mad at me or just says ok we will try to fix it, but never does. I know ppd is usually only within the first year, but if untreated can it continue? I just don’t know what to do anymore.

Hello Lee, I’m sorry you have been struggling like this. To answer your question, yes, if someone is struggling with PPD or a related illness, the symptoms can continue if left untreated. I don’t know if the mama of your child has PPD or a related illness, a doctor would have to talk it over with her, and you, if she allows that. Getting help is scary and hard for many people, but life improves so much when someone explores getting healthier. She may be somewhat used to feeling the way that she does and her mind may be clouded by depression and anxiety so that she can’t really see she may be ill. That’s hard. You can’t force someone to get help unless they are a danger to themselves or others. I’ll be hoping with you that she becomes open to getting help.